1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical image-processing apparatus and method for simultaneously displaying, on the screen of a built-in or external display, a plurality of medical images obtained at different imaging positions, and a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus for picking up an image of a subject utilizing a magnetic resonance signal emitted from the subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a method (hereinafter referred to as “wide-range imaging”) has come to be utilized, in which a wide area that cannot be imaged at one-time imaging is imaged by performing a plurality of imaging operations while moving a bed during the intervals of the imaging operations.
In this case, a plurality of images obtained by the imaging operations are stitched together to form a single image corresponding to the wide area. When the images are manually positioned and stitched, panning (change of display ranges) and zooming (change of display magnifications) are performed appropriately on images to enable them to be stitched appropriately.
In general, a zooming operation is performed after a panning operation. However, zooming processing corresponding to the zooming operation is executed on an image with the center of the image used as a fulcrum, and hence the portions stitched by the panning operation may well be displaced from each other. For this reason, operators often must perform a complex operation in which panning and zooming are repeated to gradually make the stitched image approximate a desired one.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-268178 discloses a technique of positioning two images.